Stepped roofing sheets

ABSTRACT

A building element for covering of roofs, walls and the like, comprising sheet members which are arranged for interconnection in any chosen number in rows after each other in two directions perpendicular to each other for forming a continuous covering. The means for interconnection of the sheet members are provided which permit movement of adjacent sheet members in the same vertical row while maintaining the interconnection of said sheet members, said means including one or more couplings provided in the upper edge of each sheet and as completent to said couplings, corresponding couplings provided and arranged in the lower edge of the sheet members on line with the upper couplings, that the upper and lower couplings of two sheet members may be connected after each other and on level with each other to define a coherent covering.

United States Patent [191 Jansson et a1.

1 Aug. 28, 1973 STEPPED ROOFING SHEETS [22] Filed: Nov. 17, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 199,651

[52] US. Cl 52/535, 52/533, 52/553, 52/555 [51] Int. Cl E04d 1/06, E04d H26 [58] Field of Search 52/533, 535, 556, 52/553, 528, 472, 554, 555

[56} References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,266,137 5/1918 Melde 1. 52/533 3,485,002 12/1969 Baker 52/555 955,855 4/1910 Day et a1 52/534 3,520,099 7/1970 Mattes 52/556 1,434,166 10/1922 Thompson.... 52/534 3,593,479 7/1971 Hinds et 31.... 52/555 2,482,835 9/1949 Bremer 52/533 345,942 7/1896 Aldrith 52/533 2,685,852 8/1954 Godel 52/556 465,364 12/1891 Elder et a1. 52/533 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 166,921 4/1959 Sweden 52/546 1,509,120 9/1969 Germany 52/555 248,657 8/1966 Austria 52/533 9,112 5/1962 Austria 52/553 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-Leslie A. Braun Attorney1. Irving Silverman et a1.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A building element for covering of roofs, walls and the like, comprising sheet members which are arranged for interconnection in any chosen number in rows after each other in two directions perpendicular to each other for forming a continuous covering. The means for interconnection of the sheet members are provided which permit movement of adjacent sheet members in the same vertical row while maintaining the interconnection of said sheet members, said means including one or more couplings provided in the upper edge of each sheet and as completent to said couplings, corresponding couplings provided and arranged in the lower edge of the sheet members on line with the upper couplings, that the upper and lower couplings of two sheet members may be connected after each other and on level with each other to define a coherent covering.

11 C, 10 Drawing Figures mu am" Patented Aug. 28, 1973 C5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2

Patented Aug. 28, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5.

Patented Aug. 28, 1973 Fig 6 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 will STEPPEI) ROOFING SHEETS The present invention refers to a building element for covering of roofs, walls and the like, comprising sheets of steel plate, synthetic resin or similar material, which are provided with means for interconnection thereof in any chosen number in rows after each other in two directions perpendicular to each other for forming a continuous roof or wall covering, and where the means for interconnection of the roof or wall sheets include one or more guidings or couplings provided in the upper edge of each sheet and as complimentary to said guidings or couplings, corresponding couplings so provided and arranged in the lower edge of the sheets on line with the upper couplings, that the upper and lower couplings of two sheets by means of said couplings may be connected after each other and on level with each other to a solid unit.

A building element of this kind has been previously proposed, which is formed with three upstanding ridges provided in the vertical direction of the element and extending parallelly with each other, and which are each composed by two diagonally provided, substantially square formed elevated parts connected by an intermediate part and being directly coherent with the couplings for the connection of the plates.

The said previously proposed roof plate however owns some disadvantages. The substantially square formed lower parts (formed between the raised parts) of the roof plates form traps, which may have snow, or needles and leaves of trees or other things stick to the plates, the consequence of which may be that moisture is unnecessarily bound to the plates or that the plates are overloaded in case large snow masses are brought to stick to said plates.

In the prior plates it may further be difficult to get the plates fit to a given height of roof, and it may be necessary to split one plate in the vertical direction if the height of the roof does not correspond to a complete multiple of the height of the plates when connected.

The present invention is intended to set aside the said disadvantages in this type of roof sheets, and this is done by forming the roof plate with a number of raised parts of even width extending parallelly to each other in which part the connection means are provided, and between the said raised parts a number of lowered parts of substantially the same width as the raised parts, and further by forming the coupling means, so that the plates still connected may be moved some distance in the vertical direction in relation to each other, so that the connected sheet roof may be brought to exactly correspond to the height of the roof in question.

A couple of embodiments of the invention will now be described more in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is however to be understood that the embodiments of the invention thus described and shown in the drawings only are of exemplifying character, and that all kinds of modifications may be presented within the scope of the below claims.

In the drawings FIG. I is a perspective view of a little section ofa roof, on which a roof sheet according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of a corner, in which four various sheets run together, but where the fourth sheet for the sake of surveyability is omitted. FIG. 3 is a cross-section along the line III III of FIG. 2, whereby the fourth sheet omitted in FIG. 2 is shown. FIG. 4 is a section along the line IV IV of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 shows the part of the sheet illustrated in FIG. 4 seen from above. FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified embodiment of a sheet, and FIG. 7 is a cross-section along the line VII VII of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a corner, where four various roof sheets get together, FIG. 9 shows a cross-section along the line IX IX of FIG. 8, and FIG. it} finally shows a cross-section along the line X X of FIG. 8. i

The roof sheet according to this invention comprises a plurality of upwardly projecting parts of equal width and being parallel to each other, and in the case illustrated in FIGS. it through 5 there are four superior parts I, 2, 3 and d and intermediate lower parts 5, 6, 7 and 8 of substantially the same width as the upwardly projecting parts. Both the upper and the lower parts of the sheet are step-formed, and there are four upwardly stepped parts, viz. the initial part 9, the lower main part 10, the upper main part Ill and the upper connection part 12. The various step parts are coherent over connection parts, which form a 130 angle with the step planes, and the height of the steps between the various parts are substantially the same. The side edges of the step parts are somewhat conically formed with respect to the upper parts, and they form an angle of about l05 with the main plane of the sheet. From left in FIG. I the sheet begins with a narrow, immersed flange 13, the main object of which is to form a support for the upper part I right out to left, and the sheet is ended at the immersed part at the right hand side by an upright edge M which also turns out in an angle of about against the main plane of the sheet. The upright edge 14 eliminates leakage of water from the part 8 down to the frame work of the roof. The edge M diverges somewhat from the lower to the upper edge of the roof sheet, so that the distance from the edge 14 to the closest upper part 4 is somewhat greater at the upper edge than the lower edge of the roof sheet. The reason for this is to enable a fitting of the edge 14 of the adjacent sheet located up the roof inside the edge 14, and it is therefore obvious that the said distance at the upper edge of the sheet as compared with the distance at the lower edge of the sheet needs only be slightly greater than the sheet thickness.

In order also to prevent creep leakage of water from the upper surface of the sheet down to the frame work of the roof a water trap is provided at the upper edge of the sheet, and it is formed by a falling edge 15a extending at some angle downwards from the surface of the connection part 112, a fall bottom 15b extending parallel to the main plane of the sheet, and the water trap is ended by a upwardly projecting edge 16 extending at some angle with the main plane of the sheet. The edge H6 just extends so far above the fall bottom 15b so as to get free of the underside of the adjacent sheet as indicated in FIG. 4. As evident from FIG. 4 the coupling means of the sheets include horizontal punchings in the side edges of the superior parts i 4i, and further a punch rib I7 is provided close to the lower edge of the main step part W, which punch rib i7 forms the male part of the connection means, while the corresponding female punch rib i3 is provided in the upper connection part B2. The upper connection part 12 converges somewhat towards the upper edge 16 of the sheet, and since the punch rib 18 extends with the same depth along the whoie of the connection part 12 said female punch rib 18 is open both forwardly as rearwardly. The male punch rib I7 is essentially longer than the female punch rib 18 in order to enable a fitting of the sheets to other heights of roofs than these forming an even multiple of the height of the roof sheet. In FIG. 4 is schematically shown with the dotted lines how such a fitting may be accomplished.

The laying of the sheets starts with nailing an attachment rib (not shown in the drawings) to the lower edge of the roof frame work, whereupon the lowermost sheet by means of its male connection part 17 is connected to said attachment rib. By means of a nail 19 a sheet is then at its upper edge attached to a cross beam or the like in the roof frame work.

In this embodiment of the invention firstly a row of sheets are mounted above each other, and then you start mounting the next row of sheets located above each other as indicated in the drawings on right hand side of the first mentioned row. In FIG. 2 the first mounted sheet is designed A and the sheet mounted next is designed B, and not until said plates have been connected and fixed mounted to the roof frame work the sheet C located at right hand side of the sheet A may be mounted.

The mounting of the sheets is accomplished, so that the sheet B in FIG. 4 is put on top of the sheet A mounted firstly, with the lower main step part substantially on plane with the upper main step part 11 of the plate A. The connection part 12 is somewhat narrower at the female connection part 18 than the corresponding part of the first main step part at the male punch ribs 17, and the widths of the various parts are such that the male connection ribs 17 may fittingly be moved into the female connection grooves 18. The sheet B in FIG. 4 is thereby pushed upwardly supported by the first sheet A until its male rib or coupling 17 engages the female coupling 18 of the sheet A already mounted as indicated in the figure. Already in this position a satisfactory connection has been established between the two sheets, but the sheet B may be moved a further distance a until the initial part 9 thereof comes into tight engagement with the connection part 12 of the first mentioned sheet A. If now a calculation should indicate that the height of the roof corresponds to for instance the height of 7% sheets it is necessary to use eight sheets in order to fully cover the roof but in order to get the sheets fitted with respect to the roof height the sheets must be pulled together a distance corresponding to half a sheet, i.e., the seven connections between the sheets must each be pulled together a dis tance a l/l4 of the total height of the sheet in connected state. Thereby the uppermost sheet will with the upper edge thereof be located exactly on the intended level adjacent the roof top.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the water edges 14 and 16 are free from the adjacent sheet, and the distance between said edges and the adjacent sheet should be so large that no creep leakages due to capillary forces may arise between the various sheets. The nail holes in one plate will be fully covered by the sheet located above said nail hole, and no leakages can therefore arise. The angle of the angularly disposed falling edge a of the water trap is so small that any condensated water or other water that may be collected in said water trap at normal roof angles will always run downwards along the sheet and out of said water trap.

The sheet shown in FIGS. 6 through 10 substantially coincides with the sheet described above, and so it comprises a number of elevated parts and immersed parts, and as is best evident from FIGS. 6 and 7 showing the right hand side of a sheet said sheet is likewise formed with a lower initial part 9, a lower main step part 10, an upper main step part 11 and an upper connection part 12. The sheet is ended by the bevelled edge 14, which in this embodiment of the invention is extended by a horizontal sealing edge 21 formed with a punched round groove 22 extending along the complete height of the sheet centrally in the sealing edge 21. Said round groove 22 is intended either to form a water trap to receive and dissipate water which may force into said groove from the adjacent sheet surface or to form a support for a sealing means 23 of a suitable material to sealingly engage the adjacent sheet thereby eliminating any creep leakages. Likewise the water trap along the upper edge of the sheet is provided with a punched round groove 24 extending between the flange 13 on one side of the sheet and the edge 14 on the opposite side. A sealing means of any suitable material may also be provided in the groove 24 to sealingly engage the underside of the adjacent sheet located in the direction up the roof.

As schematically illustrated in FIG. 8 the sheets are mounted as described above, whereby the sheet a is mounted first, and thereafter the sheet b located above sheet a and any following sheets above sheet b, and thereafter the second row of sheets can be mounted beginning with sheet 0 aside of sheet a, and thereafter sheet d located above sheet c and any following sheets in this row of sheets. Like in the embodiment described above some adjustment as to height may be accomplished of the sheets in order to make the sheets any particular height of roof. As best evident from FIG. 9 the four sheets a, b, c and d will overlap each other in their common corner, and to prevent leakages from arising due to the fourfold layer of sheets each plate is in its upper right hand comer and its lower right hand corner formed with immersed parts 25 and 26 resp., which are punched down a distance corresponding to the thickness of the sheet and the length and width of which exceeds the part of the comer which is formed by the four sheets getting together in said comer. It is evident for instance from FIG. 9 that the sheet b will be located on top of the sheet a, what means that the lower immersed part 26 of sheet b will be located on top of the immersed part 25 of sheet a, and for this purpose the punching 25 is somewhat wider and somewhat longer than the punching 26.

It is also evident from FIG. 9 that a sealing means 27 of any suitable material may be provided in the angle of the sheet, which is formed by a bottom of the immersed part 8 and the edge 14, whereby the said sealing means 27 will form a seal between the plate b and the plate c, and further, as indicated in FIG. 9, the sealing means 27 will also sealingly engage the female connection part 18 of the sheet c.

FIG. I0 shows a cross-section through sheet c and sheet d in a position, in which the sheet d has been pushed upwards until the initial part 9 thereof has been brought into engagement with the upper connection part 12 of the sheet c.

It is obvious, that the roof sheet according to this invention may be manufactured in any suitable width and height and that it may be formed with any number of upper and lower parts, and that the embodiments shown in the drawings are only illustrating examples.

What we claim is:

1. A construction tile capable of being installed with a plurality of like tiles in vertical and horizontal substantially co-planar rows defining a coherent covering for roofs, walls and the like, each construction tile comprising, a substantially rigid plate member formed as alternating rows of raised and depressed stepped portions, said portions being stepped in the same direction taken lengthwise thereof and having stepped edges at substantially the same angle, the raised stepped portions defining an uppermost landing part and a lowermost landing part, interlocking tongue and groove means formed in the uppermost and lowermost landing parts of said raised stepped portions whereby a pair of connected adjacent tiles in the same vertical row are capable of relative displacement while retaining their interconnection as well as their interconnection with adjacent tiles of the next adjacent vertical row.

2. The construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which each raised stepped portion has opposite side edges and said interlocking tongue and groove means comprise an elongate first groove in one side edge of a raised stepped portion at the uppermost landing part thereof and a corresponding elongate second groove in said one side edge at the lowermost landing part of the same raised stepped portion, said first groove defining a tongue on the innersurface of said uppermost landing capable of being received within the groove at the lowermost landing of the next adjacent tile of the same vertical row,

3. A construction tile as claimed in claim 2 in which said uppermost landing converges in the direction toward the upper edge of said tile and said grooves are open ended in the direction toward the top and bottom of said tile.

4. A construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which each tile has an upright along the edge of one depressed stepped portion.

5. A construction tile as claimed in claim 4 in which said upright has a horizontal extension of likewise stepped configuration and a sealing groove is formed in said horizontal extension extending along the entire length of said stepped portion.

6. A construction tile as claimed in claim 4 in which a comer is defined by the bottom of the outermost depressed stepped portion and said upright and sealing means seated therein and capable of being applied to said comer.

7. A construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which the uppermost landing of each tile is formed with a water trapformation having a bottom located on a level below the next adjacent uppermost landing and includes an upright at its edge.

8. A construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which the uppermost landing of each tile has a sealing groove formed therein.

9. A construction tile according to claim 1 in which the uppermost landing of each tile has a sealing groove formed therein and sealing material is seated in said sealing groove to engage the underside of the next adjacent tile superposed thereupon.

10. A construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which said plate has upper and lower right hand corners defined by a depressed stepped portion, the height of which substantially corresponds to the thickness of the tile.

11. A construction tile according to claim 10 in which the uppermost landing part is wider and longer than the lowermost depressed landing part.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTEFIQATE OF ORRETIN Patent No. 3,754,366 Dated August 28, 1973 Inv nt JOHN G. JANSSON, et al.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below: In the itemized introductory data, insert the following: [30] Foreign Application Priority Data November 19, 1970 Sweden Signed and sealed this 25th day of December 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FIETCHER,JR. RENE D. TEGTMEYER v Attesting Officer 'Acting Commissioner of Patents ORM 5 0-1050 (10-69) USCOMM DC 60376 P69 uvs. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE was oass-3a4 

1. A construction tile capable of being installed with a plurality of like tiles in vertical and horizontal substantially co-planar rows defining a coherent covering for roofs, walls and the like, each construction tile comprising, a substantially rigid plate member formed as alternating rows of raised and depressed stepped portions, said portions being stepped in the same direction taken lengthwise thereof and having stepped edges at substantially the same angle, the raised stepped portions defining an uppermost landing part and a lowermost landing part, interlocking tongue and groove means formed in the uppermost and lowermost landing parts of said raised stepped portions whereby a pair of connected adjacent tiles in the same vertical row are capable of relative displacement while retaining their interconnection as well as their interconnection with adjacent tiles of the next adjacent vertical row.
 2. The construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which each raised stepped portion has opposite side edges and said interlocking tongue and groove means comprise an elongate first groove in one side edge of a raised stepped portion at the uppermost landing part thereof and a corresponding elongate second groove in said one side edge at the lowermost landing part of the same raised stepped portion, said first groove defining a tongue on the innersurface of said uppermost landing capable of being received within the groove at the lowermost landing of the next adjacent tile of the same vertical row.
 3. A construction tile as claimed in claim 2 in which said uppermost landing converges in the direction toward the upper edge of said tile and said grooves are open ended in the direction toward the top and bottom of said tile.
 4. A construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which each tile has an upright along the edge of one depressed stepped portion.
 5. A construction tile as claimed in claim 4 in which said upright has a horizontal extension of likewise stepped configuration and a sealing groove is formed in said horizontal extension extending along the entire length of said stepped portion.
 6. A construction tile as claimed in claim 4 in which a corner is defined by the bottom of the outermost depressed stepped portion and said upright and sealing means seated therein and capable of being applied to said corner.
 7. A construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which the uppermost landing of each tile is formed with a water trapformation having a bottom located on a level below the next adjacent uppermost landing and includes an upright at its edge.
 8. A construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which the uppermost landing of each tile has a sealing groove formed therein.
 9. A construction tile according to claim 1 in which the uppermost landing of each tile has a sealing groove formed therein and sealing material is seated in said sealing groove to engage the underside of the next adjacent tile superposed thereupon.
 10. A construction tile as claimed in claim 1 in which said plate has upper and lower right hand corners defined by a depressed stepped portion, the height of which substantially corresponds to the thickness of the tile.
 11. A construction tile according to claim 10 in which the uppermost landing part is wider and longer than the lowermost depressed landing part. 